Category Archives: Water and wastewater

The Rural Community Assistance Partnership, Inc. (RCAP) has received $500,000 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development’s Water and Environmental Programs to provide training and technical assistance, onsite repairs, and utility management advice for rural water and wastewater utilities impacted by the 2017 hurricane season. RCAP has been on the ground providing technical assistance to rural communities affected by hurricanes since the storms hit, and this funding will allow the RCAP network to expand that work.

“Ensuring safe drinking water has proven to be a critical first step in rebuilding the small Texas communities ravaged by Hurricane Harvey at the end of August 2017,” explained Ines Polonius, CEO of Communities Unlimited. “Once critical community backbone infrastructure — a town’s water and waste water systems — is back in place and functioning properly, families can begin to rebuild their lives in the place they call home.”

With this funding, RCAP will assist rural communities, borrowers, and small water systems in Texas, the Southeast US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands in their recovery from the recent hurricanes. RCAP regional partners including the Southeast Rural Community Assistance Project (SERCAP), Communities Unlimited (CU), and RCAP Solutions will assist small utilities to complete damage assessments and disaster technical assistance work plans, apply for Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) disaster programs, file insurance recovery claims, and update existing Security Vulnerability Assessments and Emergency Response plans.

“Our work in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands is in higher demand than ever before.” says Karen A. Koller, CAE, President and CEO of RCAP Solutions. “The increased funding provided by the disaster recovery grants will allow RCAP Solutions to provide additional vital technical assistance and services to those in desperate need of safe, clean drinking water as we assist in the rebirth of those communities.”

Rural communities of 10,000 or less impacted by natural disasters are often the last to get assistance. This grant will provide RCAP the opportunity to provide long-term technical assistance to communities in need of basic capacity building expertise in immediate response to the hurricanes that impacted their communities.

“The funds awarded to the SERCAP region for disaster recovery will assist our communities impacted by the devastating 2017 hurricane season,” said Hope F Cupit, CPA, President & CEO of SERCAP. “SERCAP is committed to rebuilding small communities in Florida during the long-term period of recovery.”

Rural Community Assistance Partnership is a national network of six regional non-profit organizations working to ensure that rural and small communities throughout the country have access to safe drinking water and sanitary wastewater disposal. The RCAP network provides a variety of programs to accomplish this goal, including direct training and on the ground technical assistance. For more information, visit www.rcap.org.

Acueducto Rural Guacio, is a community water system located in San Sebastian Municipality of Puerto Rico. Guacio is a low-income community were 57.9% live below the poverty line with a median household income of $14,463. The aqueduct provides drinking water to 85 rural families, most small farmers of minor crops.

The water system consists of two deep wells and a 52,000-gallon capacity distribution tank in which water is treated with a tablet chlorinator. The drinking water is distributed by gravity to all members and the community charges a flat rate of $20 per family per month for water consumption. The RCAP Solutions Technical Assistance Provider (TAP) assisted Guacio by helping submit a proposal that would provide funds necessary for the installation of individual water meters.

With this improvement, the community was in the process of shifting from a flat rate charge to one based on cost per consumption. The TAP assisted the community by helping to set the new payment structure, but the project was put on hold due to damage created from Hurricane Maria. The system suffered several broken pipelines due to landslides, but were able to rapidly repair and replace them. Since there was no electric power to operate the system, they tried to operate it with a generator, but it was damaged, and the community was without water service for more than 3 weeks.

Due to the emergency, RCAP Solutions was assisting the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Health in completing drinking water assessments in rural areas. After performing Guacio’s assessment, RCAP was able to provide and install a new generator with assistance from the EPA, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and Water Mission, another nonprofit organization with a focus on clean water solutions.

As a result, the community was once again able to operate the water system and provide safe, clean drinking water to the entire community. They were incredibly grateful for the work RCAP Solutions offered, and their partnership with Water Mission in providing the generator and bring power to the water system.

“Today, the 19th of October, we would like to give thanks to RCAP Solutions and Water Mission for recognizing and prioritizing the need in this area. We are a small non-profit community water system (Non-PRASA) that provides water to 86 families. We are well organized and well managed and have been successfully providing water for many years. For the last month, to keep our system open and serving our almost 90 families, we had to manually throw water into our distribution system to keep things flowing without the electricity that normally runs our pumps. We are very proud that we kept our system going since many other systems with similar issues were closed. In the last three days it has been a miracle that RCAP helped us to overcome a month of extreme sacrifice and get our system back to running normally. Thank God for RCAP Solutions and what they have done to help us–there are no words to properly address our gratitude.”

RCAP Solutions, Inc. was selected as a beneficiary of the Hannaford Cause Bag program for the month of November.

The Hannaford Cause Bag program is designed to support local nonprofits through the sale of their reusable Hannaford Helps bag.

RCAP Solutions, Inc. was selected by Hannaford store leadership as the November beneficiary of the program at the 21 Timpany Boulevard, Gardner, MA Hannaford store. For every Hannaford Helps reusable bag with the good karma message purchased at the Hannaford Store in Gardner, MA during the month of November, RCAP Solutions, Inc. will receive a $1 donation.

“This is an exciting opportunity for RCAP Solutions as we kick off our holiday season giving campaign,” said Karen A. Koller, President & CEO. “Our focus this year is to raise funds to help Puerto Rican hurricane victims. With this initiative, we’re providing an opportunity for the greater Gardner area to support those in the U.S. Caribbean territories as they struggle to rebuild their lives and stabilize their future.”

The funds raised will be divided into two distinct categories. The first will be directed towards the immediate need of providing emergency housing and support services to those who have chosen to resettle either temporarily or permanently in Massachusetts. The second will be deployed over the coming months to assist with reconstruction and economic recovery projects to those on the island of Puerto Rico.

“RCAP Solutions is uniquely positioned to help those who have been devastated by the recent hurricanes,” continued Koller. “With our housing efforts in Worcester County and a seasoned technical assistance team in Puerto Rico, RCAP Solutions is ready and able to meet the needs of those who so desperately need our vital services.”

RCAP Solutions has set a goal of raising $20,000 during the holiday season to support these two important initiatives.

About RCAP Solutions, Inc.

Established in 1969, RCAP Solutions mission is to foster personal and public self-reliance and improve the quality of life for individuals, families and the communities in which they live. RCAP Solutions is a comprehensive nonprofit community development corporation that works with communities of all sizes to address a broad range of needs. RCAP Solutions is part of a coordinated nationwide network with an integrated, multi-faceted approach to delivering high-quality services customized to each community’s unique requirements. For more information, please visit http://www.rcapsolutions.org/.

BOSTON — In an effort to support clean energy and improve the efficiency of water infrastructure across the Commonwealth, the Baker-Polito Administration today announced that up to $3 million in gap funding grants will be made available to municipal drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities to help these plants reduce their energy use, operating costs and carbon footprint. The gap funding grant program is designed to expedite implementation of previously assessed energy efficiency and clean energy generation projects at municipal plants. The program helps to fill the last “gap” in project financing, enabling municipalities to use utility incentives and funds from other sources to build or install selected efficiency and clean energy projects.

“Protecting drinking water and continually improving our energy efficiency are priorities for our Administration, and the gap funding grant program will help support our clean energy resources while providing residents with safe, clean water,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “In addition to energy and environmental protections, the grants awarded will help lower operating costs and improve the resilience and climate readiness of the state’s water infrastructure.”

“Gap funding grants are a crucial resource for communities eager to upgrade important drinking and wastewater facilities,” said Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito. “Through the reduction of energy use and carbon emissions, cities and towns across the Commonwealth will recognize lower operating costs while enjoying environmental and air quality improvements.”

The initial round of grants from the gap funding program awarded 21 water and wastewater facilities more than $1.7 million to help fund 30 clean energy and efficiency projects. These projects leveraged nearly $2 million in additional energy utility incentives, leading to the installation of $10.9 million in clean energy improvement projects. The initial gap projects will reduce enough electricity to fully heat and power 897 Massachusetts homes every year for nearly 15 years. The resulting avoided greenhouse gas emissions is equivalent to removing 5,369 cars from the road for those 15 years.

“The announcement of streamlined financial support will allow facilities to take advantage of multiple funding sources and jump-start the installation of energy efficiency and clean energy generation projects,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton. “By filling the last gap in the financing package for these projects, communities around the state will be able to recognize significant cost savings that will be reinvested into drinking and wastewater facilities.”

In 2016, a cost-benefit analysis of the energy efficiency projects during the initial gap funding round was completed in partnership with the American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Policy Navigation Group in Washington, D.C. The total Massachusetts investment of $2.5 million in energy efficiency projects will result in more than $40.2 million in public benefits over 15 years; yielding more than $31 million in energy savings for water facilities and over $9 million of public environmental benefits. The benefit-cost ratio means that $15 of public benefits will be achieved for every public dollar invested.

“Drinking water and wastewater treatment facilities are often among the largest energy users in a community,” said Commissioner Martin Suuberg of the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection, which operates the initiative under its Clean Energy Results Program. “Gap funding allows these utilities to deliver both immediate and long-term returns and efficiencies to municipal water ratepayers, and significantly cut greenhouse gas emissions from their plant operations.”

The additional $3 million in funding to be awarded in January will allow the program to expand and fill the financing gap for another 20 to 30 treatment facilities. The grants are being provided by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) from funds obtained as Alternative Compliance Payments made in lieu of compliance with the Class I and Class II Renewable Portfolio Standards and Alternative Portfolio Standards.

“Massachusetts is a national leader in energy efficiency and clean energy, saving all ratepayers billions of dollars on energy costs annually and reducing our overall emissions,” said DOER Commissioner Judith Judson. “Not only will these grants give water treatment facilities the funding they need to complete vital projects, but the resulting energy efficiency and renewable energy savings will allow the municipalities to further invest in their infrastructure going forward.”

“Investing in both innovative and traditional water technologies not only improves water quality, but increases energy efficiency and strengthens critical water infrastructure that is vital to our communities,” said Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Stephen Pike. “We look forward to working with our partners at the Departments of Environmental Protection and Energy Resources to improve wastewater treatment facilities across the Commonwealth.”

“It was very helpful to receive grant funding to support our Solar PV Project, currently generating over 200,000 kWh per year, and our Variable Frequency Drive Project, anticipated to save over 1 million kWh per year, which will be online in early 2018,” said Managing Director Sam Corda of the Cambridge Water Department, which participated in the first round of gap funding. “Together, both projects will save our community $132,000 a year in energy costs.”

“This program is a great example of a state and local partnership that improves energy efficiency, protects the environment, and saves taxpayers money,” said Town Manager Ron San Angelo of Southbridge, another community that participated in the first round of gap funding. “The Governor and his team deserve great praise for moving this program forward.”

Municipalities and regional water and wastewater system operators can find the gap program Notice of Intent and information on how to apply for a grant here. Grant applications will be accepted starting on Nov. 6, and the grant filing deadline is 5 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2017.

With all the division in our government, it is easy to forget there are some policy priorities that actually cut across party lines and geographical boundaries. Constituents may have different opinions on health care and tax reform, but they have a lot in common too. They get up in the morning and brush their teeth, use the bathroom, and make coffee. Many of them commute to school or work. They travel with their families on summer vacations and for holidays. They buy groceries and eat at restaurants.

When it comes to the essentials, we really do have more that unites us than divides us, which is why the majority of Americans want the federal government to prioritize investing in infrastructure. Earlier this year, voters were polled on what they wanted the federal government to focus on for a legislative agenda. By a double-digit margin, investment in infrastructure was the most important topic above any other issue. Two thirds of voters said so. And an astonishing 82 percent of Americans said water infrastructure needed to be a top priority. Eighty-two percent of Americans can’t even agree on what day of the week it is!

But if you think about it, water unites all of us. Of course people say it should be a priority. Can you even begin to imagine a day without water? It isn’t just your personal use of water – brushing your teeth, flushing your toilet, taking a shower – though those rituals are vital. Water is also essential to a functioning economy. What is a college campus or a hotel supposed to do if there is no water? They close. How can a restaurant, coffee shop, or brewery serve customers without water to cook, make coffee and beer, or wash the dishes? They can’t. And what about manufacturers – from pharmaceuticals to automobiles – that rely on water? They would grind to a halt too.

An economic study released by the Value of Water Campaign earlier this year found that a single nationwide day without water service would put $43.5 billion of economic activity at risk. But investing in water infrastructure, unfortunately, has not been a priority for decades. The federal government’s investment has declined precipitously, leaving states, localities, and water utilities to make up the difference. Which means it is on localities to raise taxes, or for utilities to charge water rates that can pay for the massive infrastructure system of pumps, plants, and pipes. And the truth is, communities across the country have let those systems deteriorate for far too long.

We saw the tragedy in Flint, Michigan where thousands of residents were affected by tainted water supplies. Water systems in other communities are under threat too, and millions of Americans live in regions that completely lack water infrastructure.

There is no doubt about it – a day without water is a crisis. That is why we are joining with hundreds of groups across the country for Imagine a Day Without Water, because we want people to pay attention to our water systems. This country can do great things, and if 82 percent of Americans agree on something it must be important. Water is a public health issue, it is an economic issue. No community can thrive without water, and every American deserves a safe, reliable, accessible water supply. Let’s demand better, and make sure no American ever has to imagine a day without water again.

The United States Environmental Protection Agency offers a variety of resources for both individual well owners and water operators when dealing with a water contamination event.

For Water Operators:

The Water Security Division of the Office of Ground Water and Drinking Water will conduct a webinar series including three one-hour events entitled “Responding to a Water Contamination Event.” The webinar series will inform drinking water and wastewater utilities of free tools and resources that can help prepare for, respond to, and recover from water contamination. These webinars include CEUs.

“What to Do With Your Private Well After a Flood.” The link provides steps and precautions for protecting your private well following a flood. It includes information on well and pump inspection, emergency disinfection of wells that have been flooded, and sampling and testing the well water.

Blossburg is a rural community located in northern Pennsylvania in Tioga County. Blossburg originated as a coal mining town in the early 1800’s and the industry thrived for nearly 150 years. Coal mining has given way to natural gas in recent decades and Blossburg has experienced several ‘boom and bust’ periods from this industry. The population of the borough was 1,538 in 2010, decreasing from 1,956 in 1960. The median household income level was $34,924 in 2010, more than $15,000 lower than the Pennsylvania state median.

Many rural communities in Pennsylvania face significant technical, managerial, and financial issues with their water and wastewater systems. Blossburg Borough is fortunate to have very competent leadership and a capable staff, but often faces issues with aging infrastructure and lack of funding. Additionally, the water and sewer authority needed an updated asset inventory and updated water and wastewater system maps.

In 2014, USDA Rural Community Development Initiative awarded RCAP Solutions a grant to provide GPS and GIS mapping services to a number of rural low income communities including Blossburg. The borough manager and public works department have been very involved and supportive of every aspect of the RCAP project. Over a four week period in spring 2016, RCAP and the Blossburg Borough authority staff completed a comprehensive GPS inventory of the water and wastewater system. This data was then transferred to a GIS mapping system. RCAP Solutions also partnered with the Tioga County GIS Department and Tioga County Source Water Protection Coalition to create an online water and wastewater web application to view the authority’s data.

This project allowed Blossburg Borough to have an accurate, detailed inventory of their assets, as well as access to an online GIS platform to view their system maps. This will help them immensely with the effectiveness of their day to day operational work and will also assist with long term planning. Additionally, RCAP Solutions was able to network and establish important relationships with several Tioga County departments and has become very involved with the Source Water Protection Coalition.

RCDI is specifically targeted to training and technical assistance for rural low-income communities and affords them opportunities they might not otherwise get access to. The community must be 80% below the state non-metropolitan median household income and below a maximum population threshold of 50,000. The communities that have participated in utility mapping and managerial and financial capacity building with RCAP Solutions with this funding would not have been able to afford these valuable services otherwise.

Many of the communities that RCAP Solutions works with have no maps of their system at all or very outdated and/or incomplete maps. Full system mapping enables them to: respond quickly to minimize threatened or actual interruption of service; facilitate asset tracking and repair and replacement planning and implementation; provide documentation for system upgrade engineering reports and funding applications; and support emergency planning and response activities. In the northeast U.S., GPS locating of assets is critical in the winter months when valuable time can be lost finding and uncovering system components. The maps are created in both digital and physical formats for the community and they receive training on how to access and manipulate the digital maps for optimal system operation and management.

Under the RCDI program, RCAP Solutions also conducts additional training to benefit lower-income communities including managerial capacity building. In New York RCDI has also helped RCAP to facilitate training of community Code Enforcement Officers and other residential wastewater professionals on topics related to onsite wastewater treatment systems, including fundamentals, inspection procedures, and technology alternatives.

RCDI is very broad in what it allows a Technical Assistance Provider to do to support low income communities and really concentrates on a number of aspects of a community’s needs to foster self-sufficiency and overall community development.

Click on the map below to expand and see locations of over 30 current and past RCDI projects in New York, Pennsylvania, and Puerto Rico.

“I took over the sterling water department in 2009. At that time there were no programs, records or capital plans. Never being in charge of a department before this one, it was a monumental task to get it back in compliance. One month after taking over we lost the only trained employee on staff. We had a mile of main that needed replacement right away, all tanks needed cleaning, two tanks needed complete rehab, and wells needed redevelopment. I had to prioritize projects, go for funds and train new people while juggling the department and starting maintenance programs. I am a hands on person and paperwork is my weakest link. Along came Jim Starbard, RCAP Solutions and CUPSS*. Jim helped me install and enter custom tasks, assets, risk evaluation, costs, even log customer complaints. I was able to easily update CUPSS tasks daily. From CUPSS, I can print reports to show our board risk evaluation costs and even project for future maintenance. I can print daily worksheets for new or old employees to help walk them through routine tasks, a great training tool. CUPSS is easy for anyone to operate and I have found no shortcomings. It is a one stop tool for managing a water department, asset management, maintenance and financial forecasts. I could not be without it.”

Andrews Farm Water Company – Technical Assistance Re-Building a Water System

By James P. Starbard, Massachusetts State Lead

Located in the Northeast Massachusetts Town of Boxford and developed in 1994, the Andrews Farm residential community was the first community built under Massachusetts’s Chapter 40B law. This law requires that a minimum of 25% of the community has an income at 80% or below the area median income.

On the request of USDA’s Rural Development Office (RD), RCAP Solutions met with the community and worked with them to develop an asset management plan using US EPA’s Check up Program for Small Systems (CUPSS). With that asset and capital improvement information and then calculating the depreciation of assets, RCAP performed a system value evaluation which has been accepted by RD to facilitate a future sale of the system.

At this point in the project the focus shifted from assisting the water system through a sale to an emergency situation when on June 17, 2016 at 5:30 pm the community’s 3,000-gallon pneumatic drinking water storage tank exploded. The explosion destroyed much of the water system’s infrastructure including its pump house, and the incident left 53 homes without running water. I was at home watching the local evening news that night and saw the breaking news come in live.

Fox 25 Boston news reported that Brandon Shaw, a visitor to the community that day said: “All of a sudden there was a huge bang, the ground shook, and I heard all the glass shattering…I was walking thirty feet away; if I was a couple minutes later I would’ve been right in front of it.” The contract water operator for the community had been in the pump house less than an hour prior to the explosion but thankfully he has already left. No one else was injured.

Following a joint investigation by the Massachusetts State Fire Marshall Office and Boxford Fire Department, it was determined the cause to be a failure of the tank due to an increase in water or air pressure. “The pressure caused the tank to rupture, which sent a tremendous amount of energy that caused the damage,” reported the Massachusetts State Fire Marshall Office. “The building has been deemed a loss and is off limits to unauthorized persons.”

Fortunately, Andrews Farm had an emergency connection with a neighboring community that was utilized within 20 hours of the incident, restoring water flow to the residents. A few days later, after water sampling proved the water was potable, it was cleared for eating and drinking. The quick response was a testament to the need to have an updated emergency response plan which is exercised and updated frequently as well as a backup water supply within or outside of your own system

The incident was so dramatic it resulted in the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection’s (MASS DEP) Drinking Water Program to remind all water systems in the Commonwealth to inspect their storage tanks every 5 years, as required, especially pneumatic storage tanks. In that memo MASSDEP reminded systems to follow manufacturer guidance on useful life as structural integrity may be compromised after that. They also mentioned that a very similar incident occurred in June 2015 in North Stonington, CT.

An RCAP Solutions Specialist immediately was in contact with the owner to provide technical assistance and guidance to get the process of repairing the system started, which included many obstacles that had to be overcome during the process. An immediate concern was finding $100,000 to re-build the water system and to winterize the emergency connection which at the time was located above ground. The insurance company for the water system concluded that the cause of the damage to the water system was excluded from coverage, a conclusion the water system did and continues to dispute as they had just had their storage tanks inspected 11 months prior to the incident by a reputable outside contractor who did not note any deficiencies.

The water system had $1.6 million in coverage prior to the incident but in total they only received $128,000 in insurance funds to winterize the emergency connection and rebuild the pump house. This led the water company to seek out other sources of funding to re-build the system.

The water company is privately owned and prior to the emergency was preparing to be sold to prospective buyers including the neighborhood residents themselves if a cooperative was formed. Being a privately owned for-profit water company, the funding options were limited but many were explored with RCAP Solutions’ assistance including a submitted application to our RCAP network partner organization, Communities Unlimited (CU). They have a Revolving Loan Fund, but their loan terms could not be met by the water company, so the system ownership ended up supplying the needed capital to re-build the system which in total was approximately $240,000 above and beyond the emergency connection winterization costs.

RCAP Solutions’ assistance also included technical assistance throughout the construction planning and design stage. The usual process of selecting an engineer, applying for public agency permits etc. were accomplished but additional unusual obstacles were met throughout.

These obstacles included an order from the neighboring water system which acting as the emergency water source, for Andrew’s Farm to re-build their system and be self-sufficient by July 1, 2017 as they were no longer going to provide water to the water company after that date or serve as an emergency back-up supply again. This greatly increased the urgency to re-build as soon as possible and brought about the need for extra water storage for emergencies since this emergency connection would no longer be viable. This decision was ultimately reversed by the neighboring water system’s board and today they continue to serve as an emergency backup source to Andrew’s Farm.

Another obstacle was the FEMA flood maps. The maps showed the original pump house which had been destroyed as being in a flood plain, but this seemed to be an error because areas downgrade from the pump house even were not in a flood plain. This limited the water company’s ability to build beyond the original footprint under local building codes. With innovative design by the water company’s engineer, this obstacle was successfully overcome.

A third obstacle was the water company’s ability to raise user rates to pay for repairs to the water system. Rate setting for this community is regulated by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities (DPU) and a public hearing was required before DPU’s Board for this request. A decision on the rate adjustment request of the water company is still forthcoming from the DPU and should have a final decision in the fall.

Despite the obstacles faced, on June 21, 2017, exactly 1 year and 4 days from the tank rupture that destroyed the pump house, the newly re-built pump house, storage and control center was put online and features some significant upgrades and technological advances.

The new control panel is the newest electronic technology allowing for remote Wi-Fi connect-ability and control by the system’s owner and contract operator. Also, the building’s side walls were made to be removable to allow storage tank replacement without significant structural alteration.

The extremely quick re-building effort was first and foremost the result of a tenacious owner of the water company, Doug Conn, whose background as a builder served invaluable in the effort. Also, the work of the water company’s engineer and MASS DEP’s involvement and prioritization ensured the project could move along expeditiously.

Mr. Conn was nice enough to write a letter of support and thanks to us for the assistance RCAP Solutions provided during the recovery stating RCAP Solutions “had always given great advice and been attentive to [their] requests” and that RCAP Solutions “had a lot to do with our success”.

RCAP Solutions continues to assist the water company to prepare for an ultimate sale and look for entities that may want to buy the water system including the citizens of the neighborhood. RCAP Solutions has spoken with community members and has offered our technical assistance to them if they wish to pursue the creation of a cooperative to take ownership of the water system.